I should have resisted him, but I couldn’t. My addiction to him was all-consuming, the high from his touch unlike any other.

Without him, I couldn’t focus, couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe.

With him, I hated myself for being too weak to fight the devil himself.

And Tyler Burnham was the devil.

He used me.

He lied to me.

But he loved me. And he still does.

Unable to stop thinking about the man who deceived her, Mackenzie Delano struggles to move on with her life and forget that Tyler Burnham ever walked into her life. But she still aches for him, despite his betrayal. Her mind is at war with her heart, a war that could be the difference between living and dying.

Tyler Burnham is lost without Mackenzie. As he contemplates the meaning of everything, he tries to find a way to prove that his feelings for her are true. That he would walk through fire to keep her at his side. That he would sacrifice it all…his career, his fortune, his life…to protect her.

The truth is, he may just have to…

Recommended for readers 18 & up due to strong language, explicit sexual situations, and graphic violence.This is the second book in a two-book duet, which must be read in order. If you have not yet read Chasing The Dragon, please start there.

This book has had me all twisted up for a while now and it’s
taken me quite a bit to get my thoughts in order to write this review.

First and foremost… T.K Leigh is an amazing author!!

I had devoured the Beautiful Mess series once I met
Alexander and had a taste of her writing but oh my Tyler has had me
contemplating my loyalty since I first delved into Chasing the Dragon….

Slaying the Dragon is the conclusion to the Deception Duet
and it did not disappoint. Mackenzie and Tyler are trying to keep their
distance from one another after his deception is brought to light at the end of
Chasing, however trust and forgiveness are becoming their main struggle in
rebuilding their relationship. The more they find out about the investigation
into Mackenzie’s father the harder they both push to fight for each other and
what they have. All the questions that were left hanging are answered and some
of the answers might just floor you. That’s all I’m spilling about the book so
you are going to have to grab a copy because it’s ahhhmazing!!

I could not put this book down from the moment I started it,
this was one story that had me anxiously turning the pages because I just
couldn’t get enough. The story line had twists and turns that made you sit and
wonder what direction you were going to end up in as the characters try and put
together the intricate puzzle that T.K has weaved. I do love that shadowed
behind all the mystery is a love story that is growing and changing with the
characters even with all the twists the question is can they forgive. This was
a 5 star read for me and I highly recommend all of T.K’s books to everyone.

“Wait, Mackenzie!” Tyler cried out after me. “Tell me what you want me to say and I’ll say it! Letting you walk away from me once was the biggest mistake of my life. I won't do it again.”

I spun around just as I was about to open the front door. “You let me walk away from you?” I hissed, my teeth clenched.

“That’s not what I meant.” He ran his hands through his dark brown hair and I could see the desperation wash over him. “What I meant to say is all the lies, all of it… I’m so sorry I put you through it. But do you think I regret any of it?” His eyes grew more intense and impassioned, his chest heaving as he poured his heart out to me. “Not for a second.”

I glared at him, waiting for him to explain.

“If it wasn’t for all the lies, for my assignment, I never would have met you, so I’m not going to say I regret a fucking second of any of it. I don’t care what it takes to win back your heart. You can push me away all you want. You can tell me you’ll never forgive me, that there will never be an us again, but I will always come back for you. A hundred times. A thousand times. I will fight for us until I take my last breath.”

He stepped toward me, grabbing my hand in his, caressing my knuckles in such a delicate way that made me want to melt into a puddle.

“Please, Mackenzie…” He leaned toward me, brushing his lips against my forehead, kissing me so delicately, so lightly. “Serafina,” he whispered, “tell me what it will take and I’ll do it.”

Despite everything he had just said, I simply couldn’t let him back in. Relationships were based on trust, and Tyler took my trust and used it against me. I couldn’t forget that, no matter how much my skin yearned for his touch.

“You want to know what it’s going to take?” I asked softly, freeing my hand from his grasp.

He nodded, nervous anticipation radiating through his body as he looked at me with eager eyes.

“It’ll take one more time,” I murmured, opening the door. Peering over my shoulder, I saw his deflated expression. “It will always take one more time.”

T.K. Leigh, otherwise known as Tracy Leigh Kellam, is the USA Today Best Selling author of the Beautiful Mess series. Originally from New England, she now resides in sunny Southern California with her husband, dog and three cats, all of which she has rescued (including the husband). When she’s not planted in front of her computer, writing away, she can be found running and training for her next marathon (of which she has run over fifteen fulls and far too many halfs to recall). Unlike Olivia, the main character in her Beautiful Mess series, she has yet to qualify for the Boston Marathon.T.K. Leigh is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. All publishing inquiries, including audio, foreign, and film rights, should be directed to her.